Program for Men Who Use Prostitutes

Intervention Program for Men Who Use Prostitutes: An Interpersonal Approach

This program is brief , and both educational and interactive. The program is designed to engage men in a self-assessment that leads to new self understanding and changed attitudes and behavior. The program components include intake, small group sessions, self- assessment exercises, pre-post attitude questionnaire, and a program evaluation.

What have we learned about men who pay for sex with prostitutes? I have been studying the question of how and why men pay for sex for more than 25 years. There is also a growing body of scientific research about men who seek sex with prostitutes. Here is some of what has been learned:

Men pay for sex for many reasons.

Some men are unhappy and have trouble finding meaningful relationships so they turn to paying for sex to get affection, to feel like they are important to someone, or to simply feel better about themselves.

Some men pay for sex because they are unhappy in their marriage or the relationship they have been in. They seek sex with a prostitute as a substitute for deep and trusting intimacy.

Some men seek prostitutes because they want to have sexual experiences with women that they are not able to have with their spouse or partner.

Some men seek prostitutes because they are angry at women and they want to hurt a woman. They believe that they can do whatever they want to a prostitute because they are paying her.

Some men have serious emotional or mental health problems.

Some men believe that paying for sex is OK, and should be legal while others feel conflict about their behavior, but seek prostitutes because they are compulsive and cannot stop.

Clearly, this is not a simple, black and white issue; it is complicated and requires both contextual analysis and recognition of the vast array of individual circumstances.

This program is brief (3- 6 sessions depending on the size of the group), and both educational and interactive. The program is designed to engage men in a self-assessment that leads to new self understanding and changed attitudes and behavior. The program components include intake, small group sessions, self- assessment exercises, pre-post attitude questionnaire, and an anonymous program evaluation.